In the past two years, deaths from heroin overdoses doubled in the U.S. according to a new report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

“THEY” say one of the biggest reasons for the increase is because prescription pills like hydrocodone and oxycodone can go as much as $40 a pill whereas a small bag of heroin can sell for about $10.

I’m not all that surprised. I’ve done several CELEBRATION Services for those who are apart of that statistic.

Sad part?

T H E Y

ARE NOT A NUMBER. . .a STATISTIC.

T H E Y

are real people…real people of all ages…real people of all socio-ethinic groups…real people of all ages…real people of sexual orientations…real people of all socio-economic classes…

REAL PEOPLE.

Drew was two day short of being two years sober and drug free.

No one knows what happened. . .but an overdose was apparent without a Coroner’s Report.

‘GOD, GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.’

“The Serenity Prayer” by Reinhold Niebuhr was read in unison as we began the Celebration Service for Drew. It’s become one of the most widely known prayers in the world. It touches people’s hearts from all walks of life.

“. . .LIVING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.”

. . .is how the rest of Niebuhr’s prayer goes/concludes.

WE

read that in unison, too, to end the service before Tim McGraw’s song, “BETTER THAN I USE TO BE.”

W O R D S

…words on a page….

But a Heart shouts what a mouth can never whisper.

You can’t take a photograph of a mom and dad, a sister and two brothers sitting in the first row and prove the cliche:

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND OF WORDS

. . .not even 1000 x 1,000,000,000

One by one, father, brother, friend after friend came forward and told a story, shared a brief
‘once-upon-a-time,’ a ‘Remember-when,’ a choked out, ‘I love you,’ a couple of words: “Good-Bye” and “Thank-You.”

More than a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a uncle, a friend, a counselor, a sponsor, a dog-lover, a alcoholic, a drug addict, an Overdose, a dead man. . .Drew was first and foremost:

L O V E D

“SOME SAY”

he never GOT IT. . .

…THAT he could have overdosed on L O V E

and WE. . .

it’s major DEALERS!

Maybe. . .maybe he was UNDERdosed…maybe WE all are….

IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT DANCED AROUND IN MY MIND

as Tim McGraw’s song ended The Celebration:

“YOU AIN’T GOTTA DIG TOO DEEP, IF YOU WANNA FIND SOME DIRT ON ME…BUT I’M LEARNING WHO YOU WERE AIN’T WHO YOU’VE GOT TO BE…I’VE PINNED A LOT OF DEMONS TO THE GROUND, I’VE GOT A FEW OLD HABITS LEFT, BUT THERE’S STILL ONE OR TWO I MIGHT NEED YOU TO HELP ME GET. STANDING IN THE RAIN SO LONG HAS LEFT ME WITH A LITTLE RUST…BUT PUT SOME FAITH IN ME AND SOMEDAY YOU’LL SEE THERE’S A DIAMOND UNDER ALL THIS DUST…I AIN’T NO ANGEL, I’VE STILL GOT A FEW MORE DANCES WITH THE DEVIL. I’M CLEANING UP MY ACT LITTLE BY LITTLE. I’M GETTING THERE, I CAN FINALLY STAND THE MAN IN THE MIRROR I SEE…I AIN’T AS GOOD AS I’M GONNA GET, BUT I’M BETTER THAN I USED TO ME…”

THEY SAY. . .it’s a Pandemic. . .

SOME SAY. . .it’s exactly what’s needed…person by person, one by one. . .

l o v e…

Love won’t cure any disease or distress. . .LOVE CURES NOTHING!

LOVER’S DO